Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will use a speech at the Lowy Institute in Sydney on Friday to argue that the rise of populism and calls for monoculturalism threaten Australia's national security and regional standing, saying such a path risks leaving the country 'lonely in a dangerous world.'
Wong to warn populism and monoculture push threaten Australia's security
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong will use a speech at the Lowy Institute in Sydney on Friday to argue that the rise of populism and calls for monoculturalism threaten Australia's national security and regional standing, saying such a path risks leaving the country 'lonely in a dangerous world.'
Wong will deliver the annual Gyngell Lecture, named after policy figure Allan Gyngell, who died in 2023. While her speech will not name One Nation by name, it will make multiple references to policies associated with that party, including isolationism and cuts to foreign aid.
One Nation has pledged to slash foreign aid and withdraw Australia from multilateral institutions if it wins power. Senator Pauline Hanson has called for Australia to become 'monocultural,' though she has stated the term is not racially discriminatory and requires only that migrants of all faiths and backgrounds embrace Australian values.
The Lowy Institute's 2025 poll found 55 per cent of Australians believe the total number of migrants coming to Australia is 'too high,' and recorded a sharp drop in support for cultural diversity. However, 73 per cent of respondents still said they view diversity as 'entirely' or 'mostly' positive.
Wong will cite the poll figure to argue that Australians retain faith in multiculturalism even as social cohesion is 'under pressure.' She will contend that a monoculture policy would sever Australia's connections in Asia and with trade and diplomatic partners.
- The source does not state which specific multilateral institutions One Nation has pledged to withdraw Australia from.
- The source does not state the full sample size or methodology of the 2025 Lowy Institute poll.
- The source does not identify which foreign states, if any, Wong will reference in relation to disinformation campaigns, noting only that she will refer to 'external' forces without naming them.
- The source does not provide One Nation's direct response to the arguments Wong will make in Friday's speech.
- The source does not state the current polling figures for Labor, One Nation, or other parties beyond describing Labor as continuing to 'struggle in the polls' and One Nation as 'politically ascendant.'
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